The Selection Ceremony (2)
"For a truly long time, this place has forgotten its original purpose, used only for small events or club activities. Seeing all of you freshmen here fills me with fresh emotion."
Albrecht stood at the edge of the podium, slowly scanning the small auditorium's high ceiling and weathered walls as if beholding visions from the past.
"Some of you may already know this, but our school has four dormitories. They are the spaces where you'll live together from now on—and a class that will support one another."
With a light wave of his hand, four phrases materialized hazily in the air.
Red lion, purple raven, blue eagle, and white bear. The four sacred beasts floating in midair shimmered mysteriously, each radiating its own hue.
"Each dormitory embodies its own values, drawing in students worthy of them. There, you will revere and uphold the dormitory's creed, proving yourselves deserving of those ideals as you grow."
Albrecht paused, a mischievous glint flashing behind his glasses. "Well, you could call it a sort of founding ideology."
He shrugged, lowering his voice conspiratorially, as if divulging a state secret. "Normally, we'd hold a grand ceremony in the main hall with the whole school watching, assigning dorms one by one. Truth be told, your dorms were already set. That event was just a formality to announce it. We'd already sorted you into optimal groups based on your backgrounds and personalities—combinations where you could grow together without clashing."
But.
Albrecht paused again, taking in each child's face. Then, with a soft smile crinkling his eyes, he continued in a gentle tone. "Looking back now, it might have felt a bit boring to you. So this year, we're dialing back the tedium. Whether that's good news or bad, I can't say... But to cut to the chase, starting this year, we'll assign dorms a little differently."
"A different way?"
"What? Not doing it the usual way all of a sudden?"
The children, who had heard about the assignment ceremony from seniors or parents, exchanged bewildered glances with their neighbors. Some eyes sparkled with intrigue at the unexpected twist, but most faces bore confusion as they fixed on the headmaster's lips.
"Entrance ceremonies, freshman welcomes, dorm assignments—they go by various names now, but they all originated from one solemn rite."
"………."
A silence fell, as if time itself rewound through the ages. He murmured lowly,
The cradle era's merciless trial—culling the unworthy, selecting only the talented to forge heroes.
In the cradle era called the cradle, it was the name of the cruelest, fairest age: weeding out the unqualified without mercy, choosing only the gifted to raise as heroes.
"Long ago, when the sacred beasts representing each dormitory were awake, only those chosen by them could become students here. It was a rigorous rite utterly separate from mere enrollment."
Back then, it wasn't a simple entrance ceremony—it was a brutal ritual with records of countless casualties.
"And now, the sacred beasts dormant for so long have opened their eyes once more."
No sooner had Albrecht's declaration landed than the hushed auditorium erupted in a storm of murmurs, like ice shattering under cold water.
The children gaped at one another in disbelief, spilling shock.
"Sacred beasts? You mean those legendary guardians from the myths?"
As the air grew chaotic, Benedict, the Dean of Student Affairs standing beside the headmaster, stepped forward.
"Silence."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried a chill that sliced through the chatter like a blade. As his icy gaze swept the seats, the children fell utterly still, like prey before a predator.
Albrecht gave Benedict a light nod of acknowledgment and resumed. "Of course, we won't follow the old selection methods to the letter now. Think of it as a slightly modified form of the ancient assignment. But with five sacred beasts, we'll have one more dormitory as well."
Thankfully, this revival of the Selection Ceremony wouldn't fully replicate the bloodbaths of old.
"Five dormitories?"
"Weren't there definitely four?"
"I thought it was three originally, then one added recently to make four?"
Confused whispers leaked among the children at the fresh change.
"From now on, you'll enter the inner sanctum one by one to face the five sacred beasts directly. Your task is simple: perform the magic you're most confident in before them. No need to fret over the results or tense up. A few mistakes won't get you expelled. Just show your talents freely."
Albrecht nodded to Benedict with a gentle smile, silently passing the baton. He swept the students one last time with benevolent eyes.
"Then, good luck to you all."
His warm encouragement thawed the auditorium's tense frost just a touch. But piercing that gap came the rough snap of leather as Benedict unfurled his roster.
"First."
Benedict's emotionless voice cut through the quiet room.
"Adella Abrain. Step forward."
The long-sealed doors of the inner sanctum swung open, revealing the altar shrouded in deep darkness, standing proud.
The empty spot left by the blond boy who had displayed his talents and departed. From the flickering blue flames behind the altar came a cold, chilling voice.
"Overall, it's pathetic."
In response to the blue flame's cynical verdict, the white flame flickering beside it sent forth a warm voice.
"They're still children. We can't expect too much yet."
"That's factoring them in. Compared to before we slumbered, their level is undeniably far behind."
"Th-that's……."
The white flame fell silent before the unvarnished truth.
"Of the children so far, how many do you think could fully awaken their blood?"
"I'd count myself lucky if even one emerges."
"Lamentable. Did they think reciting books and spells would awaken divine blood? Heroes need trials. Tsk…."
The sacred beasts' judgments were harsh, but undeniable reality.
Then, a lion-like growl from the red flames.
"At least one showed rare talent. But such a frail child."
The purple flames flickered calmly, taking up the thread.
"No yearning for truth."
And from the black flames at the altar's center, cradling the deepest shadows, a heavy voice leaked.
"No conviction in self."
"………."
Clack—
Before the black flame's weighty silence could fade.
Clack— Clack—
With refined footsteps, the glossy tip of a shoe gleamed undimmed in the darkness, pointing forward. A sharp ray of light pierced the chilling aura filling the space.
Pale blond hair holding noble moonlight even in shadow; colorless eyes drawing the gaze with cold brilliance. The magic cloaking the girl gleamed like intricately carved ice, and her heels struck the marble floor with unerring precision.
"Ho—"
Low murmurs of admiration from the sacred beasts flowed. Emerging through the cold radiance was a silhouette honed to obsessive perfection.
The young girl seemed utterly oblivious to the beasts' gazes. Nay, her whole being exuded arrogance, treating their immense presences as mere backdrops to highlight her own glow.
"A familiar aura."
"Tch, reminds me of an irritating one."
With each step, the finest magical artifacts adorning her body hummed faintly, scattering intricate waves of mana. At the fringes of the transparent mana flickered icy azure-white sparks.
Crackle— Crackle!
Each flash of white light sparked tiny frictions. A sign that untamed lightning essence writhed subtly under her control. The air's humidity scorched dry from her heels, breeding taut tension.
"Power of thunder?"
"As expected, that one's bloodline."
As the beasts' pressure bore down, the girl's slender shoulders tensed ever so slightly. Yet she refused even that flicker of weakness, straightening rigidly instead—as if commanding herself with iron will.
Defying the flames' heat, sharp mana seeped in, birthing invisible static that lightly lifted her hair.
She halted before the altar, slowly raising her chin. The five flickering flames reflected in her icy eyes.
Before those overwhelming presences that might choke the breath from others, the girl harbored no fear—only the noble silence befitting her alone, affirming her pride.
Following ancient etiquette, she gathered her skirt and dipped her head slightly. A clear, resonant voice swept away the stifling air, gently parting the sanctum's hush.
"I am Ariana Spencer of the Spencer family."